Method of making prepared vamps for incorporation in slip lasted shoes



J. J. WALSH REPAR Feb. 6, 195 1 METHOD OF MAKING P ED VAMPS FOR INCORPORATIO IN SLIP LASTED SHOES 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed July 17, 1948 II-IUIIIIIIIIIIIA INVENTOR JOHN J. WALSH BYW ATTORNEY METHOD OF MAKING PREPARED VAMPS FOR INCORPORATION IN SLIP LASTED SHOES Filed July 17, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 uv-Jllllllllll FIG. 9

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INVENTOR JOHN J. WALSH BY ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1951 METHOD OF MAKING PREPARED VAMIS FOR INCORPORATION SHOES IN SLIP LASTED John J. Walsh, St. Louis, Mo.

Application July 17, 1948, Serial No. 39,283

1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in slip-lasted shoes and methods of making vamps for incorporation in slip-lasted shoes.

As has. become well known in the shoe-making art, slip-lasted shoes are ordinarily made by marginally stitching the upper-forming members to a sock lining or insole and then slipping the assembly onto a last for application of the platform or sole, or both, as the case may be. Up to the present time, most slip-lasted shoes have been of the open toe and open heel variety because it is relatively simple and easy to adapt such types orv styles to the slip-lasting process or method of construction. On the other hand, it has always been extremely difficult and costly to manufacture so-called closed toe shoes by slip-lasting methods because it is virtually impossible in most cases to stitch the vamp of a closed toe shoe to the sock lining or mid-sole cover in such a manner as to provide elevation around the extreme forward portion of the toe. In lasted shoes of conventional pulled over construction, the last provides the necessary elevation and in many cases the retention of this elevation is preserved by the insertion of a toe box into the shoe. In slip-lasted shoes, however, such expedients are inapplicable. Accordingly, numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made in recent years to provide a closed toe slip-lasted shoe, the toe of which is neatly arched or elevated in exactly the manner of the toe of a conventionally lasted shoe. It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a method of making slip-lasted shoes having a closed .toe which is arcuately rounded and elevated to give the appearance and comfort of a conventionally lasted shoe.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a slip-lasted shoe having a closed toe which is arcuately round-ed and elevated to pro- 2 invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in th claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a sock lining stamped out and marked in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a vamp member stamped and marked in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic fragmentary view of the sock lining and vamp member arranged in superposed relation to illustrate the relationshipof the guide marks thereon; I

Figure 4 is an inverted plan view of the vamp member;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary inverted plan view of the vamp member showing a line of adhesive applied thereto;

Figures 7, 8, and 9 are perspective views of the vamp member in successive stages of completion;

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the completed vamp member stitched to the sock lining;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the completed upper prior to lasting;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a completed slip-lasted shoe constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Figure 13 is a transverse sectional view taken along line I3-l3 of Figure 12;

Figure 14 is an inverted plan view of a lined vamp member;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 15-45 of Figure 14; I

Figure 16 is a fragmentary sectional View of the lined vamp member after the toe elevating operation has been completed; and

Figure 17 is a further modified form of vamp member constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention. I

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate practical embodiments of the present invention, I designates a sock lining die-cut or otherwise formed in any conventional manner from suitable leather stock or fabric, as may be desired. Around the toe portion, the sock lining i is: provided upon its upper face with a series of short radially inwardly extending guide marks 2. Similarly die-cut or otherwise formed from suitable upper stock is a vamp member 3 also provided around its toe portion with a series of short radially inwardly extending guide marks 4.

By reference to the schematic view in Figure 3, it will be evident that each of the guide marks 2 corresponds to one of the guide marks 4 and it will be further noted that the distance or space between any twoadjacent guide marks 2 is substantially smaller than the distance. or. spacing between. the; corresponding two guide marks 4'. The vamp member 3 is turned upon its under or so-called flesh side and peripherally skived to. provide a sharp cornered marginal channel 5, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5; This channel is then coated with a layer 6 of pressure sensitive adhe-- sive, such as latex cement, and when the adhesive layer 6 has dried to the proper degree. of-xtackiness, a narrow ribbon-like strip of elastic tape 1 is stretched or placed under tension and pressed into the channel 5, being held securely therein by means of the adhesive 6; As this operation is being carried out, the stretching. tension of the already cemented portion of the strip 'li will; of course; be released and the tape will contract; pulling a uniformly distributed series of very slight puckers into. the peripheral edge of the upper, and, when the strip- 1 has been completely laid into" the channel 5; the upper" will be uniformly puckered along the entire length of the channel 5 and drawn into a symmetrical cupped shape; substantially as'shownin Figures 8'and" 9. It should benoted" in this connection that'the' degree. of tensionapplied to the strip 1' and the resilient elongation thereof as it is being inserted ilrthechannel 5; will depend to some degree upon the strength of the elastic material. used therein, the thickness of. the upper stock'used' in making the vamp member 3, and the depth to which the. vamp member 3 is skived in forming the channel 5. By taking such factors into account, however, the strip of elastic 7' should be selected both as to strength and length, so that, when said strip has been affixed to the vamp member 3 within the channel 5, it will. draw up and cup the vamp member 3 to. such a degree that its peripl'i'era'l length in the region of the guide'marks 4. will-be reduced to. matchalmost exactly the-corresponding peripheral length of the sock lining 81,. so that the guide marks 4 will line up. each with its corresponding guide mark. 2- and the intervening, extra distance therebetween will have'been taken up in puckers.

The vamp member 3. thus cupped is then superimposed upon the sock lining l with the guide marks 4 and 2 thereof respectively aligned. The vamp member. 3 and soak lining I are then marginally stitched by a line of stitches 8, as shown in, Figure 1D. The quarter members 9,10; and platform cover or; wrapper H are then stitched iniplace by conventi'onalimethods'to form a completed upperA, as'shown in Figure 11".

The wood last is thereupon slippedinto the completed upper A and the shoe conventionally 'finishedby'the installation of; a platform member f2" and an outer" sole [3' to form a finished shoe, as; shown in Figures: 12 and 13. As will be seen by 'reier'enceito Figure-l3; whentheplatfonn cover or wrapper l I is pulled over and cemented down upon the platform l2, the peripheral seam be tween the. outsole t3: the vamp member 3, and the platform cover H will be pulled down intomore or less; vertical'position and forced to press itself into the more or less spongy resilient material of the platform l2, imparting to the interior of the shoe a comfortable level contour and providing in the forward portion of the toe a hitherto unattainable degree of elevation and roundness, which is both more comfortable on the foot and artistic in appearance.

If. desired, the. presentinventionmay be applied to the manufacture of. lined vamp members, in which case a vamp member 3' is cut out substantially in the same manner as the previously described vamp member 3 and a peripherally registering section of lining M is adhesively secured thereto. The lined Vamp member 3 is then peripherally skived'in the same manner heretofore described to provide a channel 5', as shown in Figure 15. It should be noted that the peripheral margin of the lining i4 is coincident with the inner shoulder line of the channel 5. The channel 5 is similarly coated with latex cement or other. similar pressure sensitive. adhesive and a sectionof elastictape' l, substantially? similar to the previously described section of elastic tape 7, is inserted under tension in the channel 5" in the same manner as previously described, drawing the lined vamp member 3." into aiseries of'small peripheral puckers and causing itto'i. cup, as shown in Figure. 1.6.

It is also possible toprovide. a modified form of. vamp. member 3", as shown in Figure. 1'7, which is substantially identical with the previously described vamp member 3,, except that it. is providedv with a. section of. elastic tape 1" which. secured in. place. by means. of." a line of stitches [5- rather than. by latex cement". other equivalent means for securement" of' the. tape l"'may, .0f course, be employed;

It should. be understood that changes and modifications in the. form, construction, arrangement, andcombination of the several. parts of the shoe and in. the steps. of its production may be made and. substituted for those herein shown and describedQwithout departing from thenature' and principle ofQrny invention.v

Having. thus described my invention, what I claimw and desire. to. secure by Letters. Patient is The. method of. making a. prepared vamp for lasting. which. method comprises. forming. a, vamp member having a peripheral toev portion of. substantiallygreater length. than. the. corresponding. length of the toe portion. of the. sock lining. of a. shoein which it is designed to. be incorporated; lining. the inner face of the. vamp memben turning thevamp member upon its under face, skiving theturned under face/of the. peripheral. toe. portion of. the lined vamp memben, stitching an elastic member under tension within the. skived portion of the vamp member, and releasing. the elastic. member and, thereby. causing. the vamp member to cup at the/toe.

' JOHN J. WALSH.

file of: this; patent-2.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date.

1,916,023 Kilburn m..- w... Oct. 9,. 1 934 Any' Meltzer July 1, I930. 

